Page 63 of The Art of Catching Feelings

“Hell yeah,” Randy said. “When I was in the minors andbumming around El Paso, I met these two chicks at the county fair and—”

“Never mind,” Chris said. “Forget I asked.”

Randy sobered up, like he finally understood that Chris was trying to have a serious conversation. “So you got your texting lady, and then you got…?”

“I met someone else.” Chris knew he had to be careful about what exactly he said. “In…real life, I guess. Not just over the phone.”

Randy’s eyebrows rose. “Do they know about each other?”

“I don’t talk to the text one anymore.”

“Oh.” Randy pursed his lips, his eyes moving around the plane like he was literally searching for an answer. “So…no problema. Move on.”

Right. When Randy put it like that, it seemed easy. And wasn’t that what Chris had done? He’d moved on approximately nine separate times.

“Look,” Randy said, gesturing at Chris’ face again. “Whoever has you likethis? That’s the one.”

Then he punched Chris in the arm, which took him by surprise more than actually hurt, but still Chris made a show of rubbing his bicep. Randy let out that staccato laugh again.

“Plus,” he said. “You’re actually hitting the ball for once in your sorry life. Whatever—orwhoever—you’re doing? Keep doing it.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

Daphne knew she owed her friend more than just a coffee for checking in on Milo while she was out of town, but that was all Kim would accept. “I’d say you could buy me a book,” she added. “But you know I’m a Kindle Unlimited girl.”

Daphne also knew that her friend woulddiefor all the Kindle Unlimited–worthy highlights from her trip, but Kim’s last words about Chris still rang in Daphne’s head.And you’re stuck in another Justin situation where you worship the ground he walks on and he barely even thinks about you.

She had to make sure she didn’t let herself get too deep with Chris, that she didn’t mistake it for more than what it was. They had agreed to have some fun together, hook up on the road only, no strings, that was it.

“We should be able to find you something here,” Kim said, placing her coffee on a shelf while she crouched down to check out the Dating & Relationships section of the bookstore. “Jesus, they still sellMen Are from Mars…?”

“I think I’m good,” Daphne said. She felt a twinge of guilt at not being more forthcoming with her friend. Normally she’d tell Kim everything. “Didn’t you want to look at the stationery?”

Kim was a sucker for cute stationery, and so they spent almost an hour looking through the fancy notebooks, testing out fancy pens on scratch pads, and marveling at how much money it all cost. Daphne was trying to see if she could smell a Scratch ’n Sniff sticker set through the packaging when Kim held up a notecard set, looking suddenly shy.

“I’m thinking of trying to design this kind of stuff,” Kim said. “Open an Etsy shop or something. You know I would’ve studied art if my mom had let me.”

They’d been communications majors together in college, Daphne because she thought it was one way to get at what she wanted to do, and Kim because her mom had thought it would be more prudent to study something marketing-adjacent rather than artistic. But Kim had always had a knack for simple, eye-catching design. One of the casualties of Daphne’s marriage had been a beautiful print Kim had made them as a wedding present, featuring the details of the day with a border of vines.

“I think that’s an awesome idea,” Daphne said. “You should one hundred percent go for it.”

“Yeah?” Kim still looked a little uncertain, which was so unlike her normal brashness that Daphne rushed to assure her.

“Hellyeah,” she said. “I’ll be your first customer, but definitely not your last.”

“You’ve inspired me, you know. The way you’ve really gone for it with this reporting gig. It’s so cool to watch you do something you’ve always wanted to do, and kick ass at it.”

Daphne didn’t know if she’d gothatfar. “It’s temporary.”

“But you’re making the most of it. Isn’t that all you can do?”

A blue cover on the shelf had caught Daphne’s eye as they walked by, and she stopped to pick up the book and turn it over to read the back.Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian…

“It’s just an interim job,” Daphne said, placing the book back on the shelf. “I can’t get too attached to it.”

—

One part of her new job that Daphnedidn’tlove was that Layla now wanted her to come over any night the team was off so they could run through film together.

---